Last month, the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) and Housing Justice hosted an event in Bristol to celebrate all that has been achieved in the delivery of the Citadel trial, and find out more about the experiences of the staff, volunteers and supported people involved. This trial is testing the impact of community volunteers to support people who have a history of rough sleeping and homelessness or are at risk of homelessness to find or sustain their tenancies. It’s part of the wider Test and Learn programme, which is introducing innovative ways to reduce homelessness and end rough sleeping and testing their impact with a series of trials and rigorous evaluations. It also involves mapping the homelessness and rough sleeping system. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. 

The event started with a lunch, allowing supported people, volunteers, and staff working in the homelessness sector on Citadel, Test and Learn and beyond to meet one another. With attendees having travelled from across the country, this was a rare and welcome opportunity to meet other people interested in relational support for those who have been homeless.

After Jessica Walker from CHI and Poppy Thomas from Housing Justice introduced the service, we were lucky enough to be joined by a panel of supported people and volunteers from Bristol. Hearing stories from those involved in Citadel in Bristol was a highlight. It was magnificent to hear about the work volunteers had done, including providing support dealing with tricky neighbours and providing emergency crisis cleaning to stop people from losing their tenancies. However, what was truly outstanding was hearing about the relationships and community that have emerged from the programme. Doing life alone is hard, and being part of Citadel means that volunteers and supported people have a community that is safe and supportive.

Following this, Spencer Rutherford from IPSOS reminded us of the role evaluation plays in improving services for people with experience of homelessness. We then had a second panel, this time from three local authorities who are choosing to continue to deliver Citadel following the end of the trial period. The local authorities shared how they had all expected volunteer recruitment to be particularly difficult in the programme, and were pleasantly surprised at how many people were eager to get involved and build the Citadel community. Local authorities also reminded us that when introducing new services like Citadel, the integration with existing local provision is crucial to ensure ongoing success.

Thanks to Housing Justice and Turnaround Bristol for hosting the event, thanks to all of our speakers, and thanks to all attendees who travelled to be part of the day.

Results from the Citadel trial will be available from Autumn 2026.

• Jessica Walker is Programme Lead at the Centre for Homelessness Impact

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